Listeners firing up “Marry Me,” St. Vincent’s debut album, were met with these opening lyrics from the lead track Now, Now as their first introduction to the eclectic artist. Released ten years ago this week, the record was her first solo release after coming off several years of supporting other artists such as Sufjan Stevens and the Polyphonic Spree.

Even though this was her first release as a solo performer, it was immediately apparent that St. Vincent was a force to be reckoned with, charting her own course through the typical sea of pop/rock music. Featuring dynamic guitar playing, orchestral arrangements and dabbling with multiple genres, the album is 43 minutes’ worth of cinematic composition.

The aforementioned aspects of her music are precisely what initially excited us here at Ernie Ball Music Man to collaborate on designing a fresh, new signature with St. Vincent. She had been playing our Albert Lee guitar model for a while at that point, and when the opportunity presented itself to work on a new instrument together, we jumped at the chance.

Take a look inside the process of creating the St. Vincent signature guitar: